


Davu

by SilverRowan_Ivy630951



Category: Black Panther (2018), Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alpha Bucky Barnes, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Bucky is a good alpha, But Steve doesn't mean it, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Giving Birth, Happy Ending, Hurt Steve Rogers, Literal Sleeping Together, M/M, Mpreg, Omega Steve Rogers, Other characters mentioned - Freeform, POV Bucky Barnes, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Protective Bucky Barnes, Sleeping Together, Steve Rogers Feels, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Threats of Violence, White Wolf Bucky Barnes, Yelling, but aren’t in the story long enough to rate tagging as characters, read the notes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:40:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24783997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverRowan_Ivy630951/pseuds/SilverRowan_Ivy630951
Summary: An Omega runs into Bucky's clearing hours from anything and he's got trouble following right behind. Of course Bucky has to help. He was raised right, after all. He doesn't expect to end up falling in love, though.Featuring Alpha Bucky, Omega Steve, a found family, and three adorable cats.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Comments: 66
Kudos: 613





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Simple Man](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24675181) by [Daretodream66](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daretodream66/pseuds/Daretodream66). 



> Possible TW: The beginning of this sets up with 12 horrible Alphas chasing Steve through the forest with the intent to do horrible things. Nothing happens but, just beware. Also, later, Bucky talks about a memory of his time as a soldier. There is a sort of flashback where he remembers some people dying, one of which Bucky kills himself. It’s not super descriptive but I’m warning you anyway. 
> 
> Also, cuteness ahead. And maybe some hilarity.

Bucky added more fuel to the fire outside his smokehouse. He still had a few days before it would be done but it was going to be great.

Curing and cold smoking his meat for the winter months was, in Bucky’s humble opinion, definitely worth all the hard work. And, with him being out in the middle of nowhere by himself, it was definitely hard work. But, lucky for him, he had one hell of a brain. He’d created gadgets and contraptions—things that he’d never bothered to name—to help him along. Instead of needing many hands, he could do it all on his own.

He loved being out in the middle of the forest all by himself.

He was an ex-U.S. Army Special Forces sniper and, when he’d gotten out, he’d just wanted to be left alone. He’d been in for six years when he’d been…disillusioned. He and his team had been lied to and sent somewhere that they never should have been.

It had not gone well.

When all was said and done, Bucky had returned to the States and found his own space far removed from everyone. He absolutely loved it. And he thrived.

With nothing on his mind but playing with his cats and enjoying the rest of the day, he rounded the corner of his home…and stopped dead in his tracks, staring in shock.

A small, blond, Beta male was running across his clearing and sprinting up his porch steps.

Someone found his home. _Someone found his home._

In the nearly ten years that he’d lived there, no one had ever just wandered in before. Even the one person who had been there before had needed very specific directions, a physical map, and a compass to get there. Even with all that, it was a difficult four and a half hour hike from the nearest neighbor much less the nearest town. There were no roads in or out, no places to land a plane, helicopter, or quinjet, and no way for anyone else to reach his home besides on foot.

It was the man’s pheromones—the man’s _Omega_ , not Beta, pheromones—that snapped Bucky out of his shock-induced stupor. The Omega was terrified. That was something Bucky couldn’t let stand.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, taking a half-step toward the porch.

At the sound of Bucky’s voice, the male jolted and looked over, his fist still raised to pound on Bucky’s front door. A second later, he’d redirected and headed straight for Bucky.

“Please,” he said in a rush. “Will you h—” The man jerked to a sudden halt the as soon as he got close enough to smell that Bucky was an Alpha. The man’s fear kicked up another notch and he took an involuntary step back. He took a breath—to scream or to say something?—but Bucky never found out.

Distant sounds of excited shouts echoed through his forest. The trembling Omega fearfully glanced over his shoulder before turning back. “Please help me,” he whispered desperately. He looked at Bucky like he was trading one horror for another.

It didn’t sit well at all.

Holding steady, making sure not to move even half an inch, making sure that nothing he did could appear like a threat or a dismissal to the anxious male, Bucky jerked his chin to his front door. “Go inside. Down the hall, last door on the right is my bedroom. Put on some of my clothes from the dirty hamper. Do your best to cover your scent. If you can’t do it with just my clothes, take a quick shower in the bathroom across the hall using my wash and then put on the clothes.

The shouting, taunting catcalls grew closer.

“Go! Quickly!”

Without another word, the man bolted back up the porch steps and into the house.

Bucky immediately took a deep centering breath before he started pumping out the scent of dangerous, deadly, Alpha male. He needed to cover the man’s scent, to make it so faint compared to his own that it went entirely unnoticed.

Bucky figured he only had another minute or so before whoever was coming arrived. Taking the porch steps in two bounds, he grabbed his gun from just inside the door, as well as a handful of specially-made devices from the side table drawer. Then, closing the door, he ran for the tree line off to the right—to the left of the ones approaching.

Watching the unwelcome men as they stumbled through the thicket that hid his clearing from view, Bucky realized that, by his measure, these were pretty pathetic Alphas. He wasn’t sure how they’d even made it to his home. They were all dressed like city slickers. None of them were wearing boots made for long treks through a forest. Hell, half of them were wearing fucking loafers! Some of them were in plaid shirts and many of the others wore goddamn golf pants. One was wearing camo socks with an ugly-ass shirt that had flamingos plastered all over it.

Bucky’s eyes hurt just from looking at them.

They didn’t belong anywhere near his forest, much less at his goddamn house. And based on the sick fear that had emanated from the male currently hiding inside—the male who’d apparently run the difficult, hours-long journey to Bucky’s house _barefoot_ —they didn’t belong anywhere near the Omega, either.

After straightening themselves out from pushing through the tangle of brush at the edge of the tree line, the men all gazed around confused. It was as if they couldn’t imagine someone actually living out here.

Bucky stepped out from his spot in the woods and cocked his gun. The noise was loud in the silence they’d created in the forest. Every one of them—Alphas by their scent—froze.

“So kind of you to join me,” Bucky said, making his voice as threatening as he could. He’d been told that it could be pretty menacing. “I’ve been meaning to make it in to the butcher’s. Was still going to have to go after the little guy ran in here—he didn’t have much meat on his bird bones. But with twelve more of you, I’ll have plenty of food for my cats.”

Knowing his cats were never very far away, Bucky let loose a specific whistle pattern. Alpine, Smoky, and Atlas came slinking out of the forest to circle around the group. As they passed, the Alphas turned and looked. They shot straight from nervous at the sight of Bucky with a gun to scared at being so close to wild animals. One of the men actually squeaked.

Holding back a humorless chuckle at the pitiful excuse for humans in front of him, Bucky tossed one of the gadgets he’d designed into their midst. None of them even noticed. In seconds, they were all lying on the ground, out cold from knockout gas.

“Huh,” Bucky said to his bobcats. “That worked even better than I expected. You’re okay, right my babies?” He made kissy noises as the triplets reached him and started rubbing up against his legs, purring contentedly as he petted them and scratched behind their ears.

*****

“Romanov!”

It took a few seconds but soon Natasha’s voice came through the one of a kind transmitter he’d made, its only pair at the police station in the nearest town. “Christ on a cracker, Bucky! You made me lose at Jenga!”

“Don’t care,” he said.

He was about to tell her of the situation at his house but she qualified her complaining statement with, “It was against Tony.”

He thought about that for a few seconds. “I care a little. Put Stark on.” When the Beta answered, Bucky said, “Fuck you, Stark.”

Natasha came back a moment later and Bucky could hear Tony cackling madly in the background.

“So what has you calling our neck of the woods at this fine hour, Wolf?” Natasha said drolly.

“I need you to send Clint out,” Bucky said matter-of-factly. He didn’t want to explain everything where just anyone in the station could hear. It wasn’t his story to tell anyway.

“How about I send Tony instead?” Nat suggested.

“You know the rule, Nat. It’s Clint or no one.

“Barton’s at home.”

“All the better; he’ll get here quicker.”

“He’s an Omega, Bucky.”

What the fuck was up with today? Had the whole world gone sideways or something? “You turning sexist on me, Natasha Romanov?” he asked in a dangerously low growl instead of doing what he really wanted to do, which was cuss her out and end the transmission.

As a female Alpha and police chief of the smallish town, Nat was one of the last people Bucky expected to be spouting off prejudiced, narrow-minded bullshit. He figured Stark would be more the type, even though, as rude as he sometimes was, Bucky had never once heard him utter anything of the kind.

“Hardly,” she said, butting into his angry thoughts. “I was trying to be delicate. He’s on heat.” That…made more sense. “So either wait a few days,” she said, “or let Tony come.”

“Fucking dammit,” Bucky muttered to himself.

Before he could say anything more, Nat asked, “What’s going on that you need Barton? Do you need him officially or do you just want help with something and he’s the only one you’ll allow out there?”

It seemed like he had no alternative but to tell her at least some of why he needed Clint. “I’ve got a dozen Alphas hogtied outside contemplating life as winter feed for my local bobcat population. They all need to be arrested and brought up on charges.” He deliberately left out that he had the triplets guarding the bastards. No one knew about Smoky, Alpine, and Atlas and he wanted to keep it that way.

“You know trespassing charges are unlikely to stick, right? You’d have to go to court for it and it wouldn’t be worth the time, effort, or money.”

“How about charges for kidnapping with the intention to rape and most likely either forcibly bond or murder an Omega?”

Bucky jumped at the sudden deep voice behind him. He looked over his shoulder. The guy had done a fantastic job at doing as Bucky told him. And he was quiet. Bucky hadn’t smelled _or_ heard him coming. Even standing several feet away, all Bucky could smell was himself from the male wearing his clothes.

Bucky quickly shut down any and all thoughts about how he really liked that idea and forced his mind back to the situation at hand.

It was Chief Romanov, not Natasha, who spoke next. Her Alpha-ness clearly bled into her voice over the transmission. Bucky imagined her eyes glowed red, too, as many Alphas’ did when feeling particularly strong emotion. “I’m assuming you’re the Omega. Are you hurt? Do you need medical assistance or a morning after pill?”

“No,” the man said calmly. “They wanted to hunt me first.”

At that, Bucky couldn’t sit anymore. Careful to keep his back to the Omega so he didn’t appear threatening to him, Bucky surged to his feet and stalked to the other end of his kitchen. Needing something to do with his hands, he pulled out a tea kettle and put water on to boil. He wanted vodka or that Wakandan alcohol he could never remember the name of, but the tea Shuri had gifted him would have to do.

When he was done with that and had a few minutes to wait for the water to heat up, Bucky stormed into his bedroom. He activated the hidden knothole to open his concealed weapons stash and pulled out the gun he wanted along with a clip containing enough ammo for what he was about to do.

In under a minute, he’d closed the compartment hiding the weapons he’d designed and built and was out his front door. Prowling over to the Alphas squirming on the ground, the ones who didn’t deserve to keep breathing, he called his babies over to his side. Taking great pleasure in the act, he shot every single one of them.

Gun down by his side, Bucky stood there longer than he meant to, breathing and trying to get his fury under control.

Again, he jumped when the Omega’s deep voice spoke from a distance behind him. “Are they dead?” The question was soft and lacked any sort of recrimination. What kind of man was this, who didn’t appear as though he would blame Bucky if he had killed them?

“No.” He wouldn’t turn around. He didn’t want this male to fear him as he had when he’d first caught Bucky’s scent. Bucky knew that his face was still set in angry lines. “Before, what I did put them out for ten minutes. Now, they’ll be out for ten hours. Enough time for me to get the sons-a-bitching scum to town without fuss.”

Things were silent for a few minutes until he felt the brave Omega come up beside him. Even standing close—only a few feet away now—Bucky could still barely smell him.

Closing his eyes and taking one last calming breath, he forced his shoulders to release the tension they’d held since the man had run terrified into his clearing. “You know, I was in the army, once upon a time.” Bucky said, just barely turning enough to see the blond from the corner of his eye. “You would’ve made one hell of a partner on silent ops.”

With that, he turned around and made his way back inside. He had to coordinate bringing these evil bastards to town. The sooner he got them gone, the better. The longer they stayed, the more tempted he’d be to kill them.

*****

The Omega’s name was Steve and, despite clearly having no desire to actually be around his kidnappers again, Bucky had had a hell of a time convincing him to stay at the house while Bucky brought them to town.

The little punk was just as stubborn as Bucky was—and didn’t it suck to be on the other end of that finally.

The only reason Bucky had gotten his way was because Steve didn’t have shoes or any clothes. The clothes he’d been wearing when he arrived had been forced on him by the twelve Alphas. They’d made him shower and change under the threat that, if he didn’t do it himself, they’d do it for him.

So, with the promise that Bucky would pick up things for him to be presentable enough when Clint came to get his statement in a few days, Bucky was off.

He left without a word and, he thought, without Steve immediately noticing him set his first aid kit out on the counter. As much as the Alpha in Bucky would’ve liked to take care of it himself, he knew that the Omega was unlikely to feel safe or comfortable with Bucky getting close enough to bandage his cut and bruised feet and body. The man had already bravely run for hours through the forest with Alphas chasing him. He didn’t need another, unknown Alpha hovering.

So, with Steve safely in the house, Bucky hefted the unconscious Alphas over his shoulder and brought them to where he needed them to be. He didn’t actually hurt them but he was certainly not careful with them either. He would go to his grave swearing that every scrape and bruise they had came from their inept trek through Bucky’s forest.

Using a cleverly-hidden system that he and Shuri had devised for him which no one knew about, Bucky transported the group as close to town as he dared. When he got them back on the ground—again, none too gently—he hauled them to the tree line on the edge of town.

By the time he unceremoniously flung the last one off his shoulder to crumple to the ground on top of the others, nearly every cop that he knew and a few that he didn’t was standing there. Wilson and Banner and a few others watched on incredulously while Stark just huffed out a laugh at Bucky’s less than tender treatment.

Bucky didn’t care. They were would-be rapists if not murderers. They didn’t deserve his benevolence. Having been beside Nat when she’d heard what happened, Tony knew that, even if the others maybe didn’t.

“That’s all of them. Let them rot, the fuckers.”

He turned away to go get Steve some clothes and a few other things but stopped when Wilson spoke up. “Um, what did you do to them?”

Bucky actually liked Sam pretty well, even if he still didn’t want the Alpha anywhere near his home, so he answered the question best he could without implicating himself or giving too much away. “Nothing that will damage them, unfortunately. I knocked them out so I wouldn’t be tempted to kill them. They’ll wake up in about,” he glanced at his watch, “four to six hours.”

Leaving them to it, listening to the metal clink of cuffs being slapped onto limp wrists, Bucky went to do some shopping.

*****

It was full dark by the time Bucky made it home. Reaching the edge of the clearing, he paused to stare at his house. Logically, he knew that someone was there so it made sense for lights to be on, but it was still odd seeing it.

He couldn’t think on it very long, though, because the front door opened and three bobcats rushed out of the house. That was another surprise. The few times Clint had been to Bucky’s home, the triplets had made themselves scarce before he’d even gotten within shouting distance. Yet the three seemed to be perfectly comfortable with the male Omega who’d been around less than a day.

Was it because he smelled like Bucky earlier? Did he still smell like Bucky?

A small shiver ran down his back but he ignored it in favor of dropping his bag and crouching to greet his excited cats. His guest didn’t need Bucky going all Alpha on him. He’d already crossed a line earlier in the day. Hopefully he wouldn’t ever have to admit to what he’d done.

“Hi, my babies. Did you miss me?” Smiling, Bucky vigorously scratched his cats’ soft fur. When they flopped to the ground for more, he obliged and rubbed their even softer bellies.

He didn’t think about talking to and cooing at them until there was a huff of amused laughter ten feet away. In the second it took him to realize what he’d been doing, what the stranger had been watching, Bucky became very grateful for the deep darkness of the forest at night. Steve would hopefully miss the full-on blush Bucky had going.

He cleared his throat. “Um, did you eat? If not, I can make us something.” He would have to check on his smokehouse fire first, but that wouldn’t take long. It was either still lit and just needed to be given more fuel or it was out and Bucky was stuck with meat that had probably gone bad. With any luck, his contraptions and machines had prevented that from happening.

“Yeah, I ate,” Steve said softly. Still keeping his distance, he was backlit by the light from the house so Bucky couldn’t even attempt to read his expression. “I figured that was probably okay.”

He couldn’t help tilting his head curiously. Did the man really think that Bucky would deny him food when he was out in the middle of the woods with nothing and no one? “It would’ve been fine even without everything that happened today.”

Steve’s shoulders relaxed a little. “There’s stew keeping warm on the stove for you…”

Bucky’s heart flopped over in his chest. After everything he’d been through, Steve had still thought of Bucky even though Bucky was an Alpha. “Thanks,” he said quietly.

The Omega just shrugged. “You helped me today, more than I expected any Al—anyone to do.”

 _Any Alpha._ Bucky clearly heard what Steve had been about to say. It made him sad. Bucky had been raised to treat everyone, but especially Omegas, with respect. He hated that not everyone was treated that way. Not everyone was treated equal. To some Alphas, Betas and Omegas were still seen as lesser humans. It wasn’t as bad as it used to be a one or two hundred years ago, where Betas were seen as second or third class citizens and Omegas as property, but too many Alphas still believed themselves to be superior.

“I thought it was the least I could do,” Steve said into the silence that settled between them.

Bucky gave one last pet to Atlas, Smoky, and Alpine before he stood. “Why don’t you go back inside,” he suggested. “I’ll be in in a minute. Got to check on something first.”

Careful to keep his distance as Steve had done, Bucky picked up his pack and skirted around the Omega. Rounding the house, he made his way to his smokehouse. What he found surprised him. The fire wasn’t out. In fact, it seemed like it had been tended to in his absence. Guessing what he was about to find, he took the modified flashlight off his belt and looked around. The pile of fruitwood was down and he spotted footprints from bare feet in the dirt.

He took a few breaths to calm himself after his unexpected discovery. Not only had Steve made enough stew for him, but he’d also kept Bucky’s smokehouse going. Because of the kindness of a most likely traumatized Omega, Bucky still had meat to last the winter.

*****

“Okay, Steve,” Bucky said seriously after he’d finished sopping up the last bit of his stew with the bread he’d made a few days ago. “I need to ask you something extremely important and I need you to be honest with me.”

Across the table from him, Steve froze. He looked a bit like a deer caught in headlights and Bucky silently cursed himself for it. He hadn’t meant to sound so Alpha.

Getting a small, solemn nod, Bucky asked, “What spices did you use in this stew?” After a few moments of disbelief, Steve snorted and then started laughing from the belly. Bucky pointed his spoon at the man. “You think I’m joking but I’m not. This is some of the best stew I’ve ever eaten. It’s better than my ma’s and she was one hell of a cook. If I have any hope of ever recreating it, then I need to write it down exactly.”

With a small smile and his insides warm, Bucky watched Steve’s laughter slowly fade. But he still waited for an answer. He wanted to eat this again. It really was delicious.

Eventually, Steve wiped his eyes and said, “Go get some paper to write it down.” As Bucky quickly got up from his seat, he saw Steve’s mirth die and his body go utterly still.

He knew exactly why and he didn’t like it at all. Steve had just given him an order. An _Omega_ had given an order to an _Alpha_. That would be a grave insult to many, one worthy of swift retaliation. He hoped that his reaction—or lack thereof—would reassure the man.

Making his way into his office, Bucky grabbed up a pen and sheet of printer paper. He’d copy the recipe over to his computer later. For now, he wanted to get it down.

Trying to be as nonchalant as possible, he came back into the kitchen and resumed his spot at the table. Pushing his empty bowl aside, he blinked up at Steve, pen poised ready to write. He calmly waited for the Omega to come to the conclusion that nothing bad was going to happen and relax again.

It took a few minutes but, eventually, he did. With a timid smile that made Bucky’s heart hurt, Steve told him what to write down. By the time they were finished, Bucky had a neatly written and easy to follow recipe and Steve had a real smile on his face.

Alpine jumped up into Bucky’s lap and stuck his nose in Bucky’s face. “Ugh! What have you been eating? Your breath stinks!” On the last word, Alpine licked out to give him a kiss.

His tongue went right in Bucky’s open mouth.

It tasted like death.

Breathing through his nose and not daring to close his mouth lest the smell and taste be trapped inside forever, Bucky pulled back and turned his head away. “Oh my god!” he whispered horrified. He lifted Alpine up onto the table and pushed him over to the hysterically laughing man across him. “Go French kiss that asshole. I have to go wash my mouth out. And maybe gargle with bleach.”

Bucky walked out, headed for the bathroom, Atlas and Smoky bounding happily at his heels while Steve just sat there and laughed. “Aw,” he heard from the kitchen. “It’s not your fault that he doesn’t know when to keep his mouth shut.”

He had to work hard to hold in the contented Alpha purr that wanted to escape at the sound of the man’s laughter.

*****

For the most part, things went fairly smoothly while they waited for Clint. Bucky gave up his bedroom to Steve since it was the only room where the door locked. It was also the only room with a bed. Bucky slept in his office.

Bucky had handed Steve a large pile of clean blankets, sheets, and pillows and told him to do whatever he liked, whether it was redressing the bed to how he wanted it or making a nest somewhere. He only asked that Steve stay out of his closet. He didn’t say it but Bucky didn’t want to have to tromp through and ruin a nest in there if something were to happen and he needed to get to his weapons quickly. He had other things stashed around the house but his biggest supply was in the bedroom.

On the third day—the day before Clint was due to arrive—Bucky woke up with a heavy feeling in his gut. It took him a minute to work out why but, once he did, he shot out of the nest he’d made to sleep in.

The whole house hadn’t started to smell, yet, but he didn’t think it would be long before that happened.

Going down the hall towards his bedroom, the smell got stronger with each and every step. Steve was going on heat. Either it was his natural time or the stress of everything those bastard Alphas had put him through had kick-started it. Bucky hoped he wasn’t too late. Nobody should have to suffer through the pain of doing nothing.

He knocked on the bedroom door. “Steve?” Listening, he heard a desperate whine and it made everything Alpha in him tense. He clenched his teeth and closed his eyes, shoving away the instinctive desire to barge right in and help.

“Steve, I know it’s difficult right now and I know you don’t want to, but I need you to let me in.” He heard a worried, almost panicked whine next and tried to ease the Omega’s mind. “I won’t come near you, I promise. But I have some things for you so you don’t hurt. And I need some clothes. I’ll be spending the week out in the forest so you can have peace and not worry because of me. But you need to let me in now before things get worse, before you hurt worse.”

Bucky waited, all but holding his breath, hoping that Steve would let him in.

It took a few minutes where he silently willed Steve to do as he said, but he eventually heard the click of the lock.

He didn’t open the door yet.

“Go ahead and climb back into your nest or under the covers—whatever you’ve got set up in there. I’ll wait until you’re ready for me to come in.” He hoped he was doing the right thing.

After another minute, he heard a strained, “Come in.”

Bucky slowly opened the door. Looking around, he saw that Steve had made a comfortable-looking nest on top of the mattress. Leaving the door open at his back in case he distressed the Omega enough that Bucky needed to make a quick exit, he went to his closet.

Doing everything he could to radiate calm and comforting pheromones—and to _not_ show how much Steve’s scent was affecting him—he pulled out the camping pack with his fall and winter gear in it. He hastily shoved enough clothes for a week in it. Next, he slid on his empty holsters and knife sheaths. Activating the hidden knothole to get at his weapons, he loaded himself up with whatever he thought he might need. Lastly, he pulled on his jacket.

Before he exited the closet, he pulled out the things he’d hidden in there. He’d felt like a real creep buying everything when he’d brought those fucking Alphas to town, but he’d wanted to be prepared in case Steve had a heat. He was prepared for most things, but an Omega wasn't one of them. Knowing that, the Alpha in him had insisted on it. Now, he was glad.

Grabbing a thick sweater to put everything on so it wouldn’t touch the floor, Bucky carefully placed it all outside the closet door.

“I, um,” Bucky cleared his throat nervously. He’d hoped he wouldn’t have to admit all this but he apparently wasn’t that lucky. “When I was in town, I got you these in-in case you had a heat. I know we’ve only known each other a few days. I wanted you to not feel like you had to turn to me in order to stop hurting. Ev-everything’s clean so you don’t— You don’t have to do that.”

He cleared his throat again when Steve didn’t say anything. Taking a deep breath—and instantly regretting it when the heat-smell he took in made him hard as a fucking rock—he forced himself to breath through it and finish what he needed to say. He also surreptitiously hid his hard-on behind his pack.

“You have free rein of the entire house. Use whatever you want; go wherever you want. The food’s all stocked up. There’re plenty of frozen meals ready to be heated if you don’t want to cook. We’ll—the cats and I will get out of your hair now.”

His pack still covering him, Bucky forced himself to make his way to the door. Knowing that if he turned back again, he’d find it even harder to leave, he closed his eyes and said the last thing he needed to say. “I’ll call Natasha and tell her to have Clint wait a week. I’ll tell her you’re not feeling well.”

With that, he pushed his body to move forward, to start walking away. Three steps down the hall he heard a quiet, “Thank you.”

Bucky stopped in the kitchen only for the time it took to grab a handful of his knockout gas balls and to call Romanov. Then he was out the door and headed into the forest, whistling for his cats as he went.

He ignored the erection pressing insistently against the front of his pants and the ache to turn around, to go right back inside and fuck Steve senseless. He ignored the want pressing at him to go build Steve two more nests in different spots around the house so he’d be comfortable wherever he went. He ignored the need to take care of any and every one of Steve’s desires, be it sex, food, blankets, cuddles, or anything else the Omega might want.

Right now, he wanted—needed—Bucky gone. So he ignored everything but his goal of getting far enough away for Steve to be comfortable.

It was just Bucky’s luck that, for the most part, he’d only ever been attracted to male Omegas.

*****

_“White Wolf?” Shuri asked, sounding confused._

_“Yes, Princess?” Bucky kept busying himself setting up his nest. He’d been given a room to at the Royal Palace for the duration of his stay and he wanted his nest to be perfect._

_“I thought you were an Alpha. You smell like an Alpha.”_

_“I am an Alpha.”_

_“Then…”_

_Bucky waited, it wasn’t his place to rush a princess on his first day back in a country that he was lucky hadn’t killed him for what he’d been a part of the last time he’d been there._

_“Then why is there a nest?” she finally asked._

_Maybe it was rude, but he didn’t stop what he was doing to talk to her, didn’t stick his head out to look at her. He was trying to get the blankets at the back to lay right. “Because nests are amazing. Everyone should know how to build one.”_

_What seemed like a perfectly logical statement to him seemed to intrigue and maybe confuse the girl. “Why?”_

_Finally getting the blanket he’d been working on just how he wanted it, he made a pleased sound and moved on to another section that needed attention. “Say,” he said after a moment, knowing that she was much too young to have presented yet, “that you present as an Omega. You’d feel the need to make nests for yourself. While a big part of that is instinct, sometimes being taught by someone who knows how can make them even better.”_

_He went on before she could point out that Bucky wasn’t an Omega. He also switched his attention to the back wall and roof._

_“But what if you present as a Beta or an Alpha instead? Just because you’re not an Omega, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t still know how to build a nest. You might have a friend who’s an Omega. Or the person you eventually mate might be. What if they’re having a bad day and need a pick-me-up? Or what if they’re sick or hurt or pregnant? Wouldn’t you want to help them in some way? What if you just want to do something nice for them?_

_“But, even aside from that, Shuri, nests are wonderful things. They’re like a little home and, if done right, can be an extension of the heart, a show of love. They can bring peace and comfort and joy. They’re a safe space for the person inside to let go and just_ be _. You can laugh or cry in one. You can sleep or play in one. You can snuggle down and read a good book, watch a movie, or just cuddle. You don’t have to be an Omega to do any of that. Omegas may have the instinct to create a nest, but everyone can do with a little comfort now and again._

_“And,” he said as gazed around at his handiwork, “I think, if more people understood that, Omegas might be treated better in the world.”_

_Deciding that the nest was perfect, Bucky began to crawl out. “Do you want to come in?” he asked. Then he looked up and froze._

_Busy with his task, he hadn’t realized that Princess Shuri wasn’t the only one who had come into his room. Standing right beside her was King T’Challa, who’d risen to the throne after his father T’Chaka had died, and the Queen Mother Ramonda._

_Bucky felt his face pale at the sight of them. It was his first day there, his first few_ hours _, and he was sure that he’d already messed up. Not only had he been rude and not stopped what he was doing when the princess began speaking to him, but he’d spoken to her with familiarity. He didn’t know her. He didn’t have that right._

_The Queen Mother knelt down and peeked into his nest. Being so close, Bucky could smell that she was an Omega. He assumed she was trying to see how good a job he did so, subtly backing away to give her space, he swallowed around the heart in his throat and made his offer again, but to all of them this time. “You can go in if you want._

_Unexpectedly, all three of them took him up on it._

_Bucky ended up sitting inside his nest which was filling out his Alpha smell with a mix of Omega, Beta, and child scents. It made his heart hurt with longing. It made him miss his family._

_“Who taught you to do this?” the Queen Mother questioned as she looked around._

_Bucky swallowed again and looked down, hoping no one would notice the tears welling in his eyes. He did his best to keep them from his voice. “My mother. Dad died in childbirth, both him and my sister Becca. Ma was broken-hearted but still had me to take care of. I was only four. Trying to feel closer to him, to not break apart, she taught me how to make nests like he taught her.”_

_“She is gone?” Shuri asked._

_Bucky looked up at the tears in her voice, surprised to find that they matched the ones on her cheeks. “Yeah. Yeah, she’s gone. Her heart gave out when I was seventeen. She stayed until I was old enough to take care of myself but she finally got to join her mate and little girl.”_

Bucky woke with tears on his face and three warm bobcats pressed against him, snuffling quietly in sleep.

Sitting up and scrubbing at the moisture on his face, Bucky did the only thing he wanted to in that moment. He called the woman that he’d long ago begun to think of as his second mother. Ramonda’s beautiful face appeared in front of him when he pressed one of the Kimoyo Beads on his bracelet.

“Bucky,” she greeted in warm welcome. Early afternoon sunshine fell on her face and shoulders, shining brightly over their connection.

“Hi, Mama.”

He didn’t know what showed on his face but it was enough for her to question him. “What’s the matter?” Her face creased into lines of worry.

Bucky placed his chin on his knees. More tears fell from his eyes and he didn’t speak for several minutes. But she was patient and only waited. He’d always appreciated that about her.

Eventually he told her everything that had happened in the past week and where he was now. “I dreamed of when we first met and woke up really wanting a hug. Sometimes cats just can’t compare.”

Smoky woke up then and stuck his face between Bucky and Ramonda, trying to nuzzle and lick at her image. They never understood that, while they could see her and hear her, she wasn’t actually there.

Suddenly having Bucky’s image traded for a curious bobcat, Ramonda laughed. But, when she spoke, it was to Bucky. “I’d give you a hug if I was there. I’m sorry I cannot. Since I can’t, I will ask you a question and then give some advice.”

Bucky pushed Smoky’s head out of the way so he could see her again.

“You like this Omega?”

Biting his lip, he silently nodded.

“Then keep being yourself. You are a kind man and a wonderful Alpha. If it is meant to be, it is meant to be. There is nothing you can do if it’s not.” She paused and studied him. “Even if it isn’t meant to be, he sounds like he could still use a friend.”

After a few more quiet minutes of Bucky looking at the woman who’d come to mean just as much to him as his first mother, Bucky sniffed and wiped the tears from his face. “I love you, Mama. Thank you.”

Her face softened at his words. “I love you, too, little wolf. Now, try to get some more rest.”

“Tell T’Challa and Shuri I said hi.”

“I will. Goodnight.”

Thinking about their talk as well as everything the past week kept Bucky up for another hour.

From everything he had seen, he was sure that Steve hadn’t lived a happy life—at least, not since he presented. And maybe not even before that. Steve was small now. It stood to reason that he’d been small his whole life. Humans were often unkind to those that they saw as different.

He wasn’t sure how long Steve would want to stay with him but Bucky decided that he would use whatever time he had to treat the Omega how he should be treated. Even if it never led to anything more than friends, Steve deserved to always be treated well.

He fell asleep wondering what Steve would think if he ever saw the nest Bucky had built in his office, the one Bucky had been sleeping in since Steve had arrived.

*****

After being gone for six days, Bucky took the chance and headed back home. He wasn’t sure how long Steve’s heat would last but, if it wasn’t over then he’d just turn right around and head back into the forest. He hoped it was over, though. He wanted to be home again. He wanted to be around Steve again. He missed both.

Bucky was well aware after his six days of nothing but his cats for company that he was pretty well sunk when it came to the tiny Omega in his home. Steve was smart, funny, kind, and interesting. And he may not have had a very good life, but he was still a good, caring person.

Getting close to home, Bucky watched the ground where he placed his feet instead of everywhere else. He knew he didn’t have to worry about anyone sneaking up on them because his babies would hear anyone who came close. He didn’t bother to look around.

When they broke through the tangled thicket hiding his clearing, the cats all immediately sprinted for the porch. He watched them race up the steps to Steve and start dancing and bounding around, greeting him as enthusiastically as they greeted Bucky after a day gone to town.

Even as Bucky smiled, it made his heart ache a bit, seeing how attached they’d grown to the Omega. They appeared to adore him just as much as Bucky did.

What happened when he left? How many hearts would be broken?

Steve’s clear laughter rang throughout the clearing as he squatted down to dole out pets and scratches to the triplets. They almost knocked him over by rubbing up against him. They purred and made adorable little growly meows.

Maybe it was pathetic of him, but the sound of Steve’s laughter made Bucky’s heart beat a little faster. It made Bucky want to treat him even better than he planned, though he wasn’t sure how. His plan already was to treat Steve the best he could for as long as Steve would let him.

With a gentle smile, he walked up to the house and stopped at the base of the porch steps, leaving plenty of space. Steve looked up from the cats and met his eyes, unexpectedly holding Bucky’s gaze for a long moment.

His smile softened and he took a breath. “Thank you. For everything.” Bucky looked down at his boots, fighting a blush. “It means a lot,” he continued. “That you’d do everything you’ve done for me. A lot of people wouldn’t have.”

“A lot of people are stupid assholes,” Bucky couldn’t help but mutter to himself.

But apparently it wasn’t quiet enough. Steve still heard him. He made Bucky blush in embarrassment when he threw his head back and laughed. “Maybe,” he agreed, “but I’m glad you’re not. Come on inside, now. I’ve got a pizza ready to go in the oven. I was just waiting on you.”

Bucky started climbing the steps while Steve stood from his crouch and dusted off his pants. It shocked Bucky to the core when, once he was done, he turned like it was nothing and headed inside.

While Bucky was well within arms’ reach, Steve had turned his back on him. An Omega with clear trust issues where Alphas are concerned had turned his back to Bucky— _an Alpha_ —with ease.

He was glad Steve had already disappeared inside because he just stood there like an idiot with his mouth hanging open. He didn’t snap out of it until Atlas jumped up and pawed at his legs. Picking up his spoiled baby, Bucky carried him and his pack inside and closed the door.

*****

After pizza—which, holy shit, was delicious—Bucky washed all the clothes he’d had in his pack. He then asked Steve’s permission to enter the bedroom and put his weapons away.

Steve gave him a look that was part shock, part confusion, and part wonder when he did. But, when Bucky only waited for an answer, when he didn’t just head on back, Steve gave his permission. Bucky felt Steve’s eyes on him as he went down the hall.

A part of him was secretly pleased at doing something so unexpected to the Omega.

He’d never been a ‘normal’ Alpha. His mother had been a big part of that, teaching him different values as he’d grown up then what much of society touted. But Bucky thought that, even if she hadn’t, he still would’ve been at least somewhat different. He didn’t like the same things as a lot of Alphas he’d met did. He didn’t _want_ the same things as a lot of them seemed to want.

Quite a few people he’d met in the military, especially during basic training, had talked or bragged about dominating Betas and Omegas. They went on and on about Alphas being the best and ‘the pecking order.’ They talked about settling down and having a Beta or a ‘sweet little Omega’ to warm their beds and do all the chores, to provide them with children. Bucky had found that awful and offensive. He’d gotten into more than one fight because of it.

The only reason he hadn’t been kicked out of the military for fighting was because of his sniper skills and one superior. A Colonel who had been passing nearby by had heard some of what had gotten Bucky’s blood up. After breaking up the fight, he’d made Bucky follow him. They’d had a long talk and the Colonel pulled some strings and gotten Bucky onto a specialist team where the men were like him: kind, caring, passionate, and very, very skilled.

They hadn’t known that they’d been getting manipulated the whole time. Not until they’d ended up in Wakanda.

Bucky settled on the living room couch lost in his thoughts. He didn’t even realize that he’d been staring straight ahead and absently petting Alpine until Steve spoke up.

“What’s wrong?”

It jolted him enough to look over. Steve was sitting closer than he ever had before, without even a table between them. They were on the same couch. Steve usually sat in the recliner which was a good distance away.

“Just…” Bucky stopped, unsure what to say. In the grand scheme of things, they hadn’t known each other for very long. “Just thinking,” he decided on. “Sometimes I get a little into my head.”

Silence settled for a few minutes and, with a nudge from Alpine, Bucky went back to petting.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Steve eventually asked.

When Bucky looked over, he saw how unsure the Omega appeared, like it wasn’t his place to even speak. His shoulders hunched slightly, chin angled up to bare a bit of throat, and his eyes were downcast.

Smoky and Atlas bounded up onto the couch and made a beeline for Steve, one plopping down across his lap hoping for belly scratches, the other curling at his side. It all made Bucky’s heart feel both light and heavy.

Ultimately, it was Steve’s timidity that decided him. Bucky could share this part of himself.

“I joined the army when I was seventeen, after my ma died. Eventually I got put with this group of really great guys. We were special ops, the people who got sent in to do the hard jobs in the hard places. We were excellent at getting in and out unseen, unheard, and unsmelled. I was in for six years.”

He swallowed around the sudden lump in his throat and stopped petting Alpine. Instead, he just held on.

“Then we were sent on this mission in Africa. We were told that we were after terrorists. One man had been added to our team for the op. It was…unusual…but we were to get him in safely, that he was to kill the head terrorist because Intel had said that the group structure was set up in such a way that, if the head guy died, the cell would crumble. If we didn’t succeed, the group would follow through on their plans to attack the US. It would be like 9/11 all over again.”

Bucky fell silent but Steve didn’t say a word, didn’t prompt him. He only waited, petting Smoky and Atlas.

“We got there, made it in without being caught, and got set up. There was going to be some sort of to-do the next day. People were setting up for it. The head terrorist would be up on a stage in front of a podium. But, the longer we waited, the more it felt wrong. We didn’t see any weapons—no bombs, no one who looked ready to kill at a moment’s notice, and no villagers who looked terrified, like their town had been overrun by bad men with guns. Something wasn’t right.”

Steve shifted the tiniest bit and it brought him closer. But Bucky paid him no mind. Steve had asked and Bucky had decided to tell. He could sit wherever he wanted to listen.

“We all talked. My men—I was their Sergeant; they listened to me, followed me. My men were just as uncomfortable with everything as I was. We’d decided to wait and see. We weren’t going to pull out in case our Intel was correct, but we also weren’t going to act until we were sure. The man who’d been sent in with us didn’t like that; we just didn’t know it.

“The next day, we were all in place. The three black members of my team were mixed in with the crowd, blending in, and the rest of us were nearby. I was up in my sniper’s nest watching everyone’s backs. But what we saw wasn’t terrorists gathering.”

_Someone who was so obviously royal—a king, not a terrorist—strode tall and proud onto the stage two steps in front of what had to be his family. Everything in Bucky stopped. He knew then that everything they’d been told was wrong._

_“Stand down! Stand down! This isn’t a fucking terrorist cell! Stevens! I said stand down!” But the new guy, Erik, didn’t stop moving. “Jones! Sawyer!” Bucky said, calling the two other men in the crowd. “Protect the king! The rest of you: do what you can to help!” With that, he put his eye to his scope and swiveled to aim at his new target._

_Gabe jumped in front of Stevens and took the first shot meant for the king. Happy Sam dove in front of the king right as Erik shot a second time. A split second too late, Bucky fired his rifle and brought Stevens down with a headshot. Three bullets and three men were dead. The king, who was hit with the same bullet that killed Sawyer, lay dying in his son’s arms._

Wiping at the tears in his eyes, Bucky said, “It was a king’s birthday party put together by the locals and those in his palace. We were the reason a good man—a kind man who led a peaceful country—got assassinated. We were the ones who’d snuck in the one who killed him. We were the ones who weren’t quick enough to stop it.”

Steve took hold of Bucky’s hand and only then did Bucky realize that the Omega had moved to sit right beside him on the couch. All three bobcats were on the floor roughhousing and Bucky didn’t remember when anyone had moved.

“What happened?”

He assumed that Steve meant what happened next. Bucky didn’t want to talk about how King T’Chaka had died.

“My team quickly got arrested. None of them put up a fight. We deserved it for what we’d done. I was a little different, though. One of the king’s guard, they’re called the Dora Milaje, came upon me right as I took the shot taking out the man who, ultimately, assassinated the king. All she knew was that the king had been shot and she’d just seen me fire my rifle. She threw something at me that took me down with electricity. Hurt like a son-of-a-bitch,” Bucky said, chuckling through the guilt and grief of his memories of that day.

“Next thing I knew, I woke up in a cell with some of my men. The rest of them were in the one across from us. It made my head swim but, as soon as I was lucid enough to think, I was up and shouting for the guards. All I could think was that I had to warn them of what was coming.”

_“Sarge…”_

_“Shut up, Pinky,” Bucky barked at the man across the hall. His head was pounding and his mouth was dry as the Sahara. “This is wrong and you know it. We never should have been sent here. If I can stop a country’s downfall that_ we _started, then I’m going to damn well do it, even if it kills me.”_

“The original plan we were sent in with was to take out the leader and then, while everything was in disarray, a brigade—which is fifteen to thirty-two hundred men and women commanded by a Colonel—would come in and take out the rest of the terrorists.

“So I warned them. After what I later found out was much debating and fighting among the members of their council, they released us and we all fought with them.” His voice grew quiet. “I was the only one of my team who survived the fight.”

They sat there for a long time not saying a word. Steve held Bucky’s hand and leaned against his shoulder while Bucky stared off into the distance and silently cried. They sat there so long, Alpine, Atlas, and Smoky curled up in a pile on the carpet and went to sleep.

After a while, Steve got up and, not letting go of Bucky’s hand, tugged so he would get up and follow. Steve led him to the office. The sight that met his eyes snapped Bucky out of his daze of memories.

“You—” Bucky almost couldn’t believe it. “You made me a nest?” The one he was looking at was obviously different than the one that he’d built when he’d begun sleeping in his office. He turned to look at the Omega still holding his hand.

Steve turned bright red and looked down at his toes. The sight of his embarrassment was endearing. So was the way he started stuttering. “I— Y-you said I could g-go wherever I wanted. I, um, I u-used, um…” When he finally got out what he was trying to say Bucky felt shock, and a little bit of awe and pleasure, ripple through him. “I u-used your n-nest.”

Peeking up from under his lashes, Steve turned even redder. “I washed everything,” he said quickly, “and made you a new one.”

He began to step away, loosening his hold on Bucky’s hand but Bucky tightened his own. “I’m glad. I hope it helped you. I hope it made you feel comfortable and safe.” He hoped he wasn’t stepping over a line but he chanced asking, “Do you want to lay down with me?” He gestured to the nest with his head while looking Steve in the eye. He made sure to only give off calm pheromones; nothing that would say that he was asking for any more than Steve was willing to give.

With a shy smile and a little nod of his head, Steve led Bucky over to the nest and crawled in.

With his own smile, Bucky knelt at the entrance while Steve started shifting blankets and pillows around. Something inside him settled at the fussing, something he didn’t know had been restless. It was like he’d been waiting all his life for someone to take care of, for someone who would be his and he, theirs.

When Steve finished with his shifting of things and glanced at Bucky a bit guiltily, Bucky could only feel his smile turning fond. At his silent question and Steve’s equally silent permission, Bucky crawled in and laid down facing the beautiful Omega.

It was nice. The only nests built by an Omega that he remembered being in were the ones made by Ramonda that she’d invited him in to. Hers had always felt like family and comfort. This one felt like more. Bucky closed his eyes and breathed it in.

But something was niggling at his mind. Something he hadn’t said, something that, if he and Steve ever came together—or even if they just stayed friends—he needed to know.

“I’m—” He paused, trying to figure out how to tell it. Eventually, he decided that there wasn’t a good way and there never would be. “You should know…” He licked his lips, took a breath, and, keeping his eyes closed, told Steve the thing that might make the Omega run for the hills. “Technically, I’m a traitor to my country. What I did, what my team did, was treason. We defied orders, gave another country critical Intel, and we turned on the US; we fought against our own country. And before that, I killed someone who was considered a decorated war hero.”

Bucky didn’t open his eyes until a hand touched gently to his cheek. When he did open them, it was to meet Steve’s soft, watery blue ones. They looked fathoms deep and held such emotion. Bucky didn’t see an ounce of condemnation in them. When Steve’s thumb gently swept over Bucky’s cheekbone, his eyes closed once more, this time in pleasure.

“You did the right thing,” came the soft whisper. “You were lied to and, when you realized it, you did what you could to make an awful situation better. You’re a good man, Bucky.”

A few more tears leaked out and Bucky didn’t even care. The hand on his face, the soft, lovely scent of Omega floating through the air, and the gentle tone of someone outside the whole ugly situation telling him that he’d done the right thing settled something else inside him, something that he hadn’t known was there. He placed his hand over Steve’s and opened his eyes.

“According to the US government, my team is dead and posthumously listed as traitors. James Buchanan Barnes is, too. As far as anyone knows, as far as any checks would show, the person who owns this property, the person who lives here is an African immigrant named Davu Buchanan Wolf. He goes by Bucky.”

Steve took a long breath in through his nose and, with his eyes suddenly sparkling, he leaned an inch closer. “That’s a terrible name.”

Bucky barked out a surprised laugh. “Yeah. It is. But I didn’t choose it. Davu means ‘the beginning’ and, in the battle against the US incursion, I apparently earned the name White Wolf. I also maybe, sort of got unofficially adopted by the royal family some time after that.”

“You’ve lived a hell of a life, Davu.” Steve said teasingly.

Their quiet laughs were the last real noises made before they fell asleep holding hands.

*****

The next morning dawned bright and sunshine filtered through the thin fabric making up the sides of the nest. It shone across Bucky’s eyes waking him from one of the most comfortable sleeps he could ever remember having. Floating on the feeling, it took a few minutes for him to really register that he had an Omega cuddled close in his arms. When he finally did, he opened his eyes and looked down in awe.

Not daring to move, hardly daring to breathe, he stared. Steve’s hair shone golden in the morning sunlight. His skin appeared almost incandescent. His beautiful lashes were long enough that they brushed his high cheekbones. His chin came to a delicate point and the stubble on it looked so soft. Steve was, without a doubt, one of the loveliest things Bucky had ever seen in his life.

“Wolf,” Bucky heard faintly coming from the kitchen. If he hadn’t been awake, he might not have heard the call coming from his transmitter. “Wolf,” he heard again.

With a quiet but heartfelt sigh, Bucky started working his way out of the nest without waking Steve. He failed.

He gently carded his fingers through that soft blond hair and whispered, “Go back to sleep, sweetheart. It’s early, yet.” Then he carefully extricated himself from Steve and the nest.

He sincerely hoped he wouldn’t get slapped for the use of the pet name. It had just slipped out. But Steve only yawned, rolled over into Bucky’s spot, and closed his eyes again.

After another few seconds of watching, feeling a glow in his chest and a smile on his face, Bucky booked it to the kitchen.

“Wolf. Wolf. Wolf. Bucky. Bucky. BuckyBuckyBucky! Wolfie boy!”

“Fuck almighty, Stark. Knock it the fuck off. Do you know what time it is?!”

“Yes. Do you?”

“Too damn early, that’s what time it is.” He yawned through his next words. “What do you want besides to bug me?”

“Clint’s coming out today,” Tony said, cutting to the chase. “He’ll be there around noon. He requests grilled paninis for lunch.”

“The fuck do I look like, a deli?”

Tony barked out a laugh at that. “I’m just messing with you. He actually wants pizza.”

Bucky sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “He’s coming out here on official business—”

“And,” Stark interrupted, “will be traveling on foot for a good ten hours today. That’s not even counting the time he’ll be out there _doing_ that official business. He’s asking that you provide him one meal, Wolf. You know he’s good for it. You know he’ll help you out with something at some point in the future.”

Bucky sighed again but conceded the point. “Fine. But I’m making whatever I damn well please.” If he just happened to make pizza for lunch, it would because he or Steve wanted it, not because Clint asked for it.

He knew he was only fooling himself. He’d be making that pizza and it would be loaded with toppings that he knew Clint loved. Bucky was a sucker for Omegas, mated or not. Clint might be nothing more than someone he sort of considered a friend, but he couldn’t help wanting to take care of him however he could. And, today, that apparently meant homemade pizza.

Exchanging a few more words with Tony before signing off, Bucky got up to make breakfast for himself and the lovely Omega he was falling uncontrollably for.

Twenty minutes later, a tired and adorably rumpled Steve stumbled into the kitchen rubbing at one eye. The triplets bounded along energetically at his heels. It made Bucky smile.

It was entirely unexpected and one hundred percent welcome when Steve came up behind him and wrapped his arms around Bucky’s waist. It set his heart thumping when Steve nuzzled his face between his shoulder blades. Bucky was wearing yesterday’s shirt but he still imagined that he would smell even more like Steve right there than he already did after spending the night with him cuddled close in their—in the nest.

It was becoming harder and harder to not think of Steve as his and of him as Steve’s. It was hard not thinking of the nest Steve had built as their nest. He knew they were inappropriate thoughts since he didn’t really know where he stood with the Omega but he _wanted_.

He decided that, after Clint left, he would talk to Steve about it. He would ask if Steve wanted to stay, to be with him. If he said yes, if he wanted that, then Bucky knew he would eventually ask if Steve would be his Omega, his mate.

Carefully turning the bacon in his pan so as to minimize the possibility of splatter onto Steve’s bare skin, Bucky laid his free hand over the arms around his waist.

He suddenly realized that he wasn’t falling for Steve like he’d thought. For better or for worse, Bucky had landed. He’d landed hard. He couldn’t stop the contented Alpha purr that rumbled from his chest and his face flushed a bit in embarrassment. He was about to apologize when the Omega pressed up against him only laughed.

“Steve,” Bucky said. And, oh, shit. Was he really doing this now? “Do you—” Apparently he was. He quickly turned off the burner and removed the pan from the heat.

“Clint’s coming today,” he said. But before Steve could say a word to that, he forged on ahead. “Do you— Are you going to go back with him?”

Steve froze behind him. Bucky’s heart sank when Steve released him and pulled away.

With a heavy heart, Bucky turned around. When he saw Steve’s face, he felt as if he’d been slapped. Steve looked devastated. Bucky’s heart rate shot into the sky as he realized what the man he loved thought.

“I didn’t— You can stay if you want. I _want_ you to stay. But only if you want to. I don’t want to keep you here if that’s not what you want.” The look on Steve’s face then was one that Bucky couldn’t decipher. He knew it could end in his own heartbreak but still he made himself whisper, “I just want you happy. Even if it’s not with me, I just want you to be happy.”

He desperately wished, now, that he hadn’t cooked bacon. The smell masked everything else. Bucky couldn’t smell Steve and he his face was carefully blank.

Leaning back against the edge of the stove, one arm wrapping protectively around his middle though he knew it would do nothing to soften a blow, he made himself ask. “Do you want to stay here? With me?”

The first second felt like hours. The next one felt like days. The one after that felt like years. All the while, Steve just watched him. Bucky firmed his jaw and willed himself not to cry. He felt like his entire life hinged on this single moment.

Maybe he’d asked too soon. He wasn’t going to ask until later but his mouth had had other ideas. Or maybe it had been his heart. His entire body, it seemed, had been in on rebelling against the logical part of his brain.

As the seconds passed without an answer, Bucky’s shoulders began to sag. His eyes started to well with tears and he looked down in an attempt to hide it.

He opened his mouth to tell Steve it was okay, that Bucky wouldn’t stop him from following Clint to town, but Steve’s hand touched Bucky’s arm, stopping the words in his throat. Slowly, he pulled it away from where it was wrapped around his body. In the next moment, Bucky had an armful of Omega.

“Yes, I want to stay.”

Bucky took a shaky breath in as his heart pounded harder than ever before. Tears fell unheeded. He wrapped his arms tight around Steve and, bending his head, he nosed at the beautiful Omega’s hair to try to catch his perfect scent. He couldn’t say a word.

They stood like that until long after the bacon grew cold. They didn’t kiss, they didn’t speak. They just held on tight to each other. Soon they would have to part. Bucky had a couple of pizzas to make and they needed to feed the triplets so they could disappear into the forest before Clint arrived.

But for now, he just held tight.

*****

**Epilogue**

“Mama.” Bucky breathed as he settled into her tight hug. It felt like love and family and just about everything he could ever need. It had been a long time since he’d gotten to actually visit Wakanda and he soaked up every second of it. Pulling back a little, he beamed at her. “I want you to meet someone.” Looking back and reaching out a hand, he pulled his Omega forward. “This is Steve.”

Ramonda smiled at them both, obviously happy for them.

“Welcome to Wakanda, Steve. And welcome to the family. I am Ramonda and these are my children, T’Challa and Shuri.” She gestured to the two who were kneeling to pet the triplets.

Bucky let Ramonda go when they stood and stepped closer. He went to hug, first, T’Challa, then Shuri, happy to see each of them. He breathed in the scents of home and family. When he was done, he stepped back and pulled Steve under his arm.

Each of the three that Bucky considered family knew of what had happened to Steve the year before, of what Bucky had helped save him from. Shuri, always the bold one, approached him. She moved very much like the Alpha she had presented as: bold and confident, but also kind and considerate of those around her. She was careful not to startle him by approaching too aggressively.

Shuri was only an inch taller than Steve, and was far younger, but she reached out to gently cup his face in her hands. She stared deep into his eyes for a long minute before lightly sweeping her thumb over his cheek. Dropping her hands again, she looked over at Bucky. “He has kind eyes. You did well, brother.”

T’Challa stepped up next and, moving slow enough to give him time to reject his touch, he enveloped Steve in a hug. In a voice quiet enough that Bucky was sure he wasn’t meant to hear, T’Challa whispered, “He has so much love to give. Thank you for letting him give it to you. Welcome to our family, Steve.”

Ramonda stepped up again, dodging the three bobcats running around their feet, and took both Bucky and Steve’s hands in her own. “Come. It is time for us to make dinner.” Then she looked directly at Steve. “I have heard good things about your cooking.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More than a few ideas here were stolen (with permission) from [Daretodream66](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daretodream66/pseuds/Daretodream66). They're a great writer and I really suggest you head over and read their stories. This was inspired by the fic [Simple Man](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24675181) which I highly recommend. The A/B/O fics [I'm Yours](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23255647) and [There Will Never Be Another You](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18538987) are really good as well. You should check those out too.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Steve. Steve. Stevie. Wake up!” 
> 
> “Wha…” Steve mumbled into his pillow. “Go ‘way, Buck. ‘M sleeping.” He tried swatting at the hand that wouldn’t stop nudging him but failed. He gave up the attempt pretty quickly. Instead, he did his best to go back to sleep despite it. 
> 
> That didn’t work either.
> 
> “Bucky… It’s not even light out yet.” 
> 
> “I know, sweetheart. But it’s time to get up! We’re going to town, remember?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops. My hand slipped.

“Steve. Steve. Stevie. Wake up!”

“Wha…” Steve mumbled into his pillow. “Go ‘way, Buck. ‘M sleeping.” He tried swatting at the hand that wouldn’t stop nudging him but failed. He gave up the attempt pretty quickly. Instead, he did his best to go back to sleep despite it.

That didn’t work either, because suddenly he had part of Bucky’s weight pressed against his back and his Alpha was murmuring sexily in his ear. “Wake up, my Omega.” Then he nuzzled softly against his face and neck, slipping occasional kisses against skin.

He couldn’t help it. A whine slipped out. Bucky’s rumbling purr of satisfaction lit him up. Unfortunately it also _woke_ him up. That fact alone put a damper on things.

A less Omega-sounding, more complaining whine came out then. “Bucky…” He got no response besides more nuzzling. Angling his chin up on instinct to give more access, he pointed out, “It’s not even light out yet.”

“I know, sweetheart,” Bucky agreed, sweetly considerate. But then he ruined the sweetness. “But it’s time to get up! We’re going to town, remember?”

“No.” Steve didn’t remember anything about going to town. That was something that he would definitely have remembered because he hadn’t been back since they came back from Wakanda six months before. It was a _long_ trip.

Why was Bucky so excited to go, anyway? It was _town_. It wasn’t like it was home. It wasn’t safe and comfortable like home was. There were no nests he could crawl into. There were people he didn’t know there. There were other Alphas there who most likely believed Omegas to be beneath them. Steve didn’t like being in town. There was plenty to do around the forest, around the house.

“No,” Steve said again. Then he buried his head underneath the pillow. He heard his Alpha huff out an amused breath when Steve accidentally hit him in the face with it.

“Baby…” When Steve didn’t say anything more, Bucky pulled away some. “You really don’t want to go with me?”

He sighed. “No, Bucky. It’s _town_.”

“Oh, okay. I guess I’ll get going then.”

He sounded hurt and Steve didn’t like that. He pulled his head out from under the pillow. “Why are you going to town, anyway?” What was so important that Bucky got up from their cozy nest before the sun was even a hint in the sky?

He saw the silhouette of his Alpha still for a moment before turning back to Steve. “Weren’t you listening to the call last night?”

Steve thought about it. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to have heard. No one had said anything about town that he knew of. “Was that before or after you started speaking Wakandan? You know I have a hard time understanding it. I’m still new at it. It’s a difficult language to learn.”

“I—”

He could tell Buck was trying to think back to the conversation and it occurred to Steve that he didn’t even know that he’d switched languages in the middle of talking to T’Challa the night before.

“I didn’t realize…” he trailed off. Coming over to the bed and crawling back into the nest, he cuddled close. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to exclude you.”

“It’s okay. I understand. I understood when you did it. You usually speak Wakandan to them. It’s their language and you’re one of them. Have been for years. I wasn’t mad last night and I’m not mad now.”

He could tell that his Alpha felt bad about it, though, and had a feeling that a lot of sweet caring and taking care of was headed Steve’s way. Not that he minded. Even after two years together, after almost one and a half of being mated, he still wasn’t quite used to being taken care of or treated like he was a treasure. It was still new and different.

A part of him hoped it always would be. He hoped that he wouldn’t ever come to just expect to be treated that way. He never wanted Bucky to feel like he _had_ to. He never made Steve feel like he had to take care of Bucky. Steve did it because he wanted to. The best thing about being together, the loveliest thing, was that they were equals. Bucky was not better because he was an Alpha. Just as Steve wasn’t less for being an Omega.

“So,” Steve asked into the silence, “why are you going to town?”

In the faint but growing light, Bucky practically lit up. “T’Challa and Shuri are coming to visit! It’ll be the first time they’ve ever been here.”

Steve sat up so fast he was almost dizzy with it. “They’re coming? Here? Today?”

Buck frowned at him and sat up as well, albeit, slower. “Is…is that okay? I…I didn’t realize I was speaking Wakandan. I thought you heard everything so, when you didn’t say no, I assumed you were okay with them coming. I—I’m sorry. Should…We can—”

“No!” Steve pounced on Bucky, wrapping him up in an exuberant hug. He leaned back just enough to see his face without going cross-eyed. “No. They have to come. I _want_ them to come. We visited their home. Now they get to see ours.”

Bucky’s smile was brilliant, near to blinding. It was beautiful.

“I really like them,” Steve added softly. “And I adore Shuri. She’s a good Alpha. Like you.”

Bucky’s smile turned love-struck and sappy. He kissed Steve tenderly. Then it turned into something more. Steve had to force himself to pull away before it turned into a prelude to sex.

“So, when will they be here? Is there time for breakfast or do we need to leave now?” Steve pulled back and, crawling out of the nest, headed for the dresser.

“I love you, my Omega,” Bucky said.

Pausing for a moment at the words—unexpected even though he heard them often—Steve finished buttoning his pants before he walked back. Leaning forward and puckering, he silently asked for a kiss.

Bucky looked at him as if the sun rose and set in his eyes. That look was the one that had eventually gotten Steve to realize that, not only did he really like the kind and caring Alpha, he was also in love with him. That look helped him realize that he would always be safe with Bucky. If he didn’t like something, didn’t want something, all he had to do was say so. That was something he hadn’t had since his mom had died when he’d still been a child.

“I love you, my Alpha,” Steve whispered back. “Now come on! We’ve got to go!”

“You know,” Bucky said with a _look_ in his eyes. He slowly coiled his arms around Steve’s waist. “If we take the platform, we can cut the five hour trip down to one.” He kissed Steve’s neck. “We could eat breakfast.” He started nibbling. “We could take a shower.” He added a small lick that had Steve going weak in the knees. “We could _say good morning_.”

Steve tried to frown. “I thought you said it wasn’t very safe.” His words came out breathless and he couldn’t even bring himself to care.

Sadly, Bucky pulled back to look at him. “It’s…not as safe as it could be. I generally just use it for supplies if I feel like I don’t want to carry them or there’s too much to get in one trip. But we could make it work. I can take an hour to add proper handholds. Maybe something like seatbelts?” His face drew down in thought.

But Steve felt a little put out by that. Bucky got him on the way to being in the mood then he goes and thinks about working on the platform? Nope! He was going to fix that right now.

“Are you saying,” he whispered in Bucky’s ear getting his Alpha’s immediate attention, “that I can hold on to you nice and tight,”—he pulled Bucky even closer—“the whole trip there?”

His words earned a low growl that rumbled up from Bucky’s chest. He could feel it and it made him tingle in spots. Mission accomplished.

Bucky started sniffing at his neck, right below his ear. “That what you want, sweetheart? You want to hold on to me? Maybe sit in my lap? I can promise to keep you occupied.”

He started sucking on his neck and Steve’s legs trembled. It sounded like a good idea for _right now_. Climbing back up onto the bed, Steve crawled to sit on Bucky’s lap. The move got him another sexy growl. It touched _all_ the right places.

With Steve’s whimpers and Bucky’s growls, they rolled over and let themselves be distracted.

*****

They were almost late. Instead of being early like Bucky had apparently planned, they broke the tree line right as the Wakandan jet landed outside of town. There was quite the crowd gathered, including more than a few cops. The cops looked suspicious. Most everyone else just looked curious.

At the pleading look Bucky shot Steve, Steve nodded and squeezed his hand. Then Bucky was off. He sprinted toward the jet. Seeing that he’d hit the crowd and have to force his way through in a minute, Steve let loose a piercing whistle.

People turned. Immediately seeing Bucky, focused and unwilling to even slow, the cops hopped forward and cleared him a path. Steve saw a few of them surreptitiously touch their tasers in case there was trouble. But Bucky just shot past everyone.

By the time he made it to the jet, T’Challa and Shuri were stepping out onto the grass. Bucky slammed into T’Challa in a fierce hug.

“So…what’s going on?” Clint asked Steve when he made it to the crowd. He was eyeing the jet and the trio in front of it with curiosity. And maybe with some leftover suspicion.

Steve just smiled. “That’s his family, his brother and sister. Their mom couldn’t come, though I’m told she wanted to. Something about a tribe council meeting?” He shrugged.

“Wait,” someone cut in. “So, he really is African? Why doesn’t he have an accent? How come he’s not black? I mean,” the Beta said, apparently realizing how racist that sounded. “His siblings are…” He eventually stopped as Steve just stared at him, unsure why the man was even talking to him.

“Ignore him if you want,” a lanky black Alpha—another cop—said. “The rest of us do. Hi. I’m Sam Wilson.” He didn’t offer his hand nor did he come any closer and Steve was grateful for that. He was also pathetically grateful that Clint was sticking close to his side. “The guy with the mouth,” Sam added, “is Tony Stark.”

Steve was able to put some faces to names now. Natasha Romanov was the one Bucky spoke to most but he sometimes mentioned a few others. These were people Bucky trusted—at least a little. “I’m Steve Rogers.” Then he turned to answer Stark. “He’s adopted. His accent comes out more when he’s around his family.”

And it did. Over the years, Bucky had picked up Wakandan, but he’d also started speaking English like them. He’d told Steve that, since he was ‘dead’ as well as listed as a traitor, he couldn’t exactly go back home. Wakanda had offered to teach him engineering like he’d planned on learning after his military service. He’d lived there for years and, as a result, had lost his American accent. When he wanted to move back, they helped him, giving him a new identity as a Wakandan citizen.

“But when he moved here,” Steve said, “he made sure to speak like the locals. Said he didn’t want to stand out even more.”

Steve’s name was called and, a second later, he had an armful of Shuri. It made him smile. It had taken them a while to work up trust when they’d gone to Wakanda. But, eventually, he'd become easy with Shuri’s natural exuberance. It didn’t matter that she was an Alpha; she’d just become his sister. And T’Challa was his brother.

T’Challa enveloped both him and Shuri in a hug and whispered a soft greeting in Wakandan to Steve. That made him feel warm. From the moment that they’d met him, they’d accepted him as he was. They had always been careful, gentle with him in a way that wasn’t smothering. It was nice, having a family.

Bucky stood off to the side smiling sappy and proud at the three of them.

“You wanna introduce us, Wolf?” Clint asked wryly.

Off to the side, Stark snickered. Another man, a Beta with curly brown hair, approached their group. All the rest of the townspeople who’d gathered when the jet came had apparently dispersed now that the excitement was over.

Steve watched amusedly as Bucky blinked a few times before his brain clicked back on. “Uh, right. So these are some of the cops I know: Clint Barton, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, and Sam Wilson.” Then he turned to others. “This is my family: T’Challa, Shuri, and my mate Steve.”

Steve wiggled out of T’Challa and Shuri’s embrace and moved to Bucky’s side, reveling in the feeling of his mate’s arm enveloping him to press him against his side. Then he snickered along with Shuri when a contented Alpha purr rumbled from his chest.

“That,” Tony declared, “is disgustingly cute. I need to go. Nice meeting you all! Bye!” And he was gone before anyone else could say a word.

There was a little more small talk before Wilson and Banner left. Clint stayed and, to Steve’s surprise, offered for them all to come over that night for dinner.

“Nah,” Bucky declined. “Maybe in a few days? I don’t want to suddenly spring four guests on Laura and expect you guys to feed us all.”

“Fair enough, man. I’ll talk to her and let you know.” He turned to T’Challa and Shuri. “It was nice meeting you. And Steve?” he paused delicately before shooting a smirk Bucky’s way. “You were right about the accent.”

He walked away with Steve laughing.

“What about my accent?” Bucky asked suspiciously.

It took a few seconds but, when he calmed, Steve looked him in the eye and said, “You switch between American and Wakandan accents depending on who you’re talking to.”

“I don’t— Do I?”

He looked so bewildered that Steve started to laugh again. He, Shuri, and T’Challa spent most of the trip home teasing him.

Steve didn’t know how long his family would be here, but he was glad that they were.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 3 years later

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I sat down last night to write something completely different and this is what came out. I hope you like it as much as I do. 
> 
> TW for the pain of giving birth (not too graphic) and threats of violence yelled in the heat of the moment. Honestly, the whole thing is just cute.

**3 years later**

In a private room off of Shuri’s lab, Steve screamed long and loud. “I fucking hate you!”

Bucky just stared impotently at him as he allowed Steve to squeeze his hand so hard he could almost swear that the bones ground together. “You can do it, baby,” he whispered. “You’re doing so well. I love you so much.”

“I’m going to chop your dick off and chuck it into the nearest volcano! Shuri, find me a volcano!”

Off to the side, T’Challa did his best to remain stoic and Shuri slapped a hand over her mouth to try to stifle her helpless giggles. Ramonda only smiled at them all, unshed tears in her eyes as she watched Steve work to bring her first grandchildren into the world.

“Just a little bit longer, Steve,” the doctor told him calmly. “Then you can chuck your whole husband into a volcano if you wish.”

“Fuck,” Steve moaned, long and drawn out. After another push, he whimpered and Bucky mopped the sweat from his brow, from his face. “I need—” Steve told the doctor, panting breathlessly during the short lull between contractions. “Can’t throw all of him in. Need him to change diapers. Just his dick will go. I’ll make him watch. As a—” he broke off to ride out the next painful contraction—“As a warning for the next time he gets any _bright fuckin’ ideas_ ,” he ground out afterwards.

T’Challa lost his battle with laughter and turned his back to them until he mostly had it under control.

A few more minutes, some more cursing, and some hard pushes later, a sharp, wailing cry pierced the air.

“Steve,” Bucky whispered reverently as tears slid unchecked down his face.

A nurse came and collected the newborn to clean them up while the doctor let Steve rest for a few minutes.

“God. You’re doing so well,” Bucky whispered softly into Steve’s hair. “I love you so much. You mean so much to me and I’m sorry you’re hurting. I’m so sorry you couldn’t use the medicine. I wish I could take the pain away for you.”

“It’s not your fault.” The pain was momentarily letting up so his breathing was beginning to level out. “It’s not your fault I tested allergic to it.”

“Okay, Steve,” the doctor interrupted gently. “One more little cub to go. It’s almost time to start again.”

At that, Steve whimpered with tears in his eyes. “Ma.”

Ramonda swiftly came forward to clasp his free hand. “You’re going to be alright, Steve. I know it hurts right now but you’re strong.” She wiped at the sweat and tears on his face. “You’re one of the strongest people I know. You’re doing beautifully.”

Then she began murmuring Wakandan softly in his ear while Bucky whispered his love and devotion into the other.

“Push!” the doctor cried.

With a strangled howl gritted out through clenched teeth, Steve bore down hard.

Twelve minutes after the birth of their first cub, the second came, screaming their righteous fury out into the world. Twin cries filled the room and nearly everyone had tears of joy on their face. In Wakanda, every babe born was worth celebrating and even the doctor and nurses had tears in their eyes and smiles on their faces.

When everything was done and Steve and the cubs were cleaned up, the babes were handed over to their parents. The cub with damp brown curls was wrapped in a bright golden blanket traditionally used in Wakanda for baby girls. The other cub, with a shock of straight, white-blond hair, was wrapped up in a deep, forest green blanket for baby boys. Both babes settled quickly in their parents’ arms as Bucky and Steve’s scents surrounded them.

Carefully sitting beside Steve on the bed, Bucky gazed down at the two impossibly tiny bundles. He felt his heart fill with so much love that he hadn’t thought it possible until then. Looking over at his husband, he felt that love grow to match.

His family. This was his family, his husband and two brand new cubs, his adoptive mother and brother and sister. He wished his and Steve’s first families could’ve been there but figured they all were probably watching from somewhere he and Steve couldn’t see. He silently gave thanks to them for giving them life so they could eventually meet and fall in love.

“What are you going to name them?” Shuri asked as she gazed wondrously down at the swaddled newborns. She reached out and swept a finger across the little girl’s soft cheek where she lay in Steve’s arms. A second later, an entranced T’Challa did the same with the baby boy. Ramonda’s eyes glowed Omega-gold with emotion as she watched on. 

Bucky looked over at Steve. They’d talked about names many times over the course of the pregnancy. They’d thought about naming the children after their families, their parents or Bucky’s little sister. Or maybe after Steve’s cousin who’d been his best friend up until he’d died with his parents when their car was hit by a drunk driver. But, ultimately, they’d wanted the twins to be their own persons. They’d decided on names that didn’t belong to anyone they knew.

“Wanda,” Steve whispered, staring lovingly down at his little girl.

“And Pietro,” Bucky finished. He watched Pietro’s face scrunch up for a moment before relaxing again into sleep.

Then both he and Steve looked up at Ramonda. Looking for what, Bucky didn’t know. But she smiled at them, as if answering some silent question. “Wanda and Pietro,” she said softly. “They are good names. You both did well.”

Hearing that, looking around at his family, the people he loved most, who meant the world to him, it seemed as if one last thing slotted into place.

He carefully transferred Pietro over to a single arm and wrapped the other around Steve.

He was filled to the brim with love and all was right in his world.


	4. Chapter 4

When Steve and Bucky stepped off the Wakandan jet that one of the Dora Milaje had flown them home in, they were met by a lithe red-headed woman in tight black jeans and a skin-tight, blood red t-shirt.

“Wolf,” she said dangerously.

Steve thought he maybe recognized her voice but wasn’t positive after only a single word. With a baby in each arm pressing them close to his chest, he surreptitiously slid behind Bucky. He hated that doing so was seen by society as ‘an Omega in their rightful place’ but the trade-off was that it protected their cubs from a possibly dangerous stranger.

Two of the Dora walked down the platform which they’d never done before when dropping them off. It made Steve’s insides settle some. They were warriors who’d trained most of their lives to protect the Wakandan throne. Steve was no longer on his own. He would never be alone. He had people on his side, a family.

“Romanov,” Bucky replied, his voice just as ominous as the woman’s.

Steve poked his head around Bucky but kept the twins hidden. “ _Natasha_ Romanov?” he asked. Even after five years, he’d never met her—he still did his best to never go to town—but he’d heard her. She and Bucky talked on his transmitter fairly often. Next to Clint, she was as close to a friend as Bucky had in the town.

Romanov didn’t break eye contact with Bucky but one eyebrow twitched. “You’re going to make me ask, aren’t you?”

Bucky didn’t answer, only widened his stance and folded his arms.

After a moment, Romanov relaxed her shoulders and pouted. Then she smiled. “May I see your cubs? Please?”

There was a long pause. But when Bucky moved pivoted to the side, Steve saw the glint of amusement in his eyes. It didn’t show on his face but Steve knew him.

So did the two Dora who’d come down to join them. They relaxed from their tensed, ready stances. But they didn’t leave. It calmed Steve down the rest of the way which settled the babies who’d started to fuss.

Bucky bent to take Wanda and Steve shifted Pietro until he was cradled easily in both arms. The Dora stepped up to flank them, a curved row of four, a unit.

Romanov reached them and her smile grew. “They’re beautiful.” She looked Steve in the eye for a long second before dropping her own in a surprising show of submission for someone who smelled strongly of Alpha. “My name’s Natasha Romanov. I know we’ve never met but I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“I’m Steve Rogers.” Licking his dry lips, he took a step forward, feeling nervous at what he was about to do. “Would you like to hold him?”

Natasha’s eyes jumped back up to his then flicked to Bucky. Steve didn’t know her, but he thought he’d surprised her. “Yes, I would.”

Carefully, slowly, she closed the remaining distance between them. Then she waited. The fact that she didn’t reach out made him easier about handing his cub over.

“His name is Pietro.”

“Pietro,” she whispered. Her eyes glowed a faint Alpha-red when she glanced up at him before looking back to the tiny bundle in her arms. Her smile softened and it made Steve’s heart warm to see it.

Bucky took a step forward and waited only long enough for Natasha to carefully shift Pietro to one arm before he placed their second cub in her arms. “And this is Wanda,” he said softly.

Behind Natasha, a dog barked and someone shouted. Natasha’s head snapped up, her eyes going from a faint glow to a sharp, fierce red. Her arms tightened protectively around the cubs as she looked over her shoulder. When Clint ran out of the woods twenty feet behind the dog, she relaxed.

Clint stumbled to a stop when he saw the jet. But, when his eyes landed on the group in front of it, he let out a joyous call and jogged over, waving enthusiastically.

“You’re back! And you brought tiny little terrors! They’re so cute!” he cooed. Then, a second later, he glared at his dog. “Lucky, sit!”

The dog, who, moments before, had been trying to jump up on one of the Dora, plopped his butt on the ground and gazed longingly up at her.

“Hi, Clint.” Seeing him again made Steve smile. He’d become kind of close with the other Omega over the past five years of sporadic visits and talks. They’d originally bonded over being male Omegas.

With roughly one-third of the population being Alphas, one-third Betas, and one-third Omegas, only one percent of all Omegas were male. Just like only one percent of Alphas were female. Betas were an even split. It was why those Alphas had chosen him to chase through the woods that day. To some—to many—male Omegas were seen as nothing more than a prize to be won—or taken.

At that thought, Steve tucked himself under Bucky’s arm, needing the comfort. He didn’t know why he’d thought of that day. Those Alphas were all in jail and would be for a long, long time. Now was a happy time, a happy day. They were bringing their cubs home for the very first time. He was meeting Bucky’s friend, seeing Clint, and then he and Bucky would take the platform home where they could relax, where they could introduce the twins to Alpine, Atlas, and Smoky.

When Steve moved closer, Bucky glanced down with a momentary frown on his face. But he went back to watching the twins when Steve rubbed a reassuring hand up and down his back.

He would be okay. He was just being nostalgic, thinking about the past. In a roundabout way, those Alphas had led to his babies being born. Because of them, he now had a wonderful life with a loving partner, an equal, something he never thought he’d have.

He watched without complaint as Natasha, after checking with them, passed one of the twins to Clint. He watched as Clint cooed some more and made silly faces at Wanda. He watched as Natasha tried to hide the fact that she tickled Pietro’s belly hoping to make him laugh. He watched as Lucky succeeded in getting Okoye to pet his tummy.

Yes. He would be okay. Because he had the best life now.


End file.
